Residents and candidates had a rough ride in the Independence Township primary election. Many candidates reported stolen or misplaced campaign signs during the primary season, which ended on Aug. 7.

Supervisor candidate Todd Waring said eight of his supporters received suspicious letters the weekend before Election Day. The letters "attacked Todd's three-year-old" son and called the boy's "mother a prostitute," said Waring's campaign manager David Forsmark.

Sam Maraco, one of Waring's supporters who got a letter in the mail, said it "insinuated that the sheriff's department [laid Waring off] for negative reasons." While the address on the envelope was written by hand, the letter inside was typed, Maraco stated.

Waring has publicly accused supervisor candidate Terry Fortuna and his supporters of creating and sending the letters based on handwriting specialist Ruth Holmes' document comparison.

Fortuna insists, "I don't know anything about it," but said he has received threatening phone calls from Todd Waring's campaign manager.

Residents also reported getting robocalls that attacked supevisor-hopeful Neil Wallace. Jan Doolittle heard the phone ring on Monday evening, Aug. 6, and when she answered she heard a recorded male voice "warning me about Neil Wallace and a lawsuit that would cost the township money," she said.

"I was so angry and disgusted. It was such a cowardly phone call," Doolittle added.